The Broken Couch
by breadmakesyoufat
Summary: In which a couch breaks and pancakes are horribly burnt. Some light-hearted Cassie and Cole to soothe my aching shipper heart.


_This just popped into my mind the other day. Can take place at any point, really. The 'having to share a bed' trope._

* * *

Things had been getting a little…awkward, lately.

Cassie didn't know what it was. Honestly. It definitely wasn't because she was harbouring some majorly unprofessional feelings towards Cole that would probably get in the way of their mission to save the planet from a mega virus that was still right on schedule to decimate something like 90% of the planet's population in a year or so. Definitely not that. Because she has been trying so hard to hide it from him. He'd give her some speech about how he was going to vanish once this was all over, and she would be left alone, or how their mission comes first. She knows all that, because she entirely agrees with him. But she can't help herself. So she'd stopped trying to fight it, and had shifted all her extra energy into hiding it from him instead, to avoid the heartache it was sure to bring.

His trips to her time were getting longer, trying to maximize how much they could accomplish with each splinter. He hasn't said anything to her yet, but Cassie has a sinking suspicion that splintering is hurting Cole. The look of pain on his face before the lights start to dim and he vanishes before her eyes, or the groan he lets out sometimes when he pops up in her kitchen with a crash, entirely unannounced…they're getting worse. She caught him in the bathroom with a bad nose bleed just the other day after arriving back to her time, and he shook it off as nothing, but she got the feeling this isn't the first time he's had this happen after splintering.

They had spent the latter part of the day cooped up in the back room of the library, trying to track down a new lead for the next day, but after six solid hours and much frustration from Cole's side, Cassie decided they should call it a night.

"Cassie we can't stop now we need to-"

"What we need is to sleep. You're exhausted, I'm exhausted…We're not going to figure this out running off of no sleep and too much coffee. Believe me. It's how I tried to get through the latter part of med school."

Cole falls silent, opening and closing his mouth a few times before huffing and dropping the papers he was looking at back on the table.

"Fine. I guess we can call it a night."

Cassie smiles at her victory and grabs their used coffee mugs, taking them to the kitchen while Cole moves the table over to pull out the sofa bed. It was old and the springs screeched painfully whenever they went to pull out the bed or put it back, but Cole never complained, and seemed grateful to have something soft to sleep on. It was just a matter of time before it-

A loud metallic snap came from the main room then, followed by a startled yelp and the sound of a boot hitting the floor moments after. Cassie nearly drops the mugs she was putting in the sink as she jumps, putting them down swiftly and turning around.

"Cole?!"

A muffled voice from the other room has Cassie hurrying back to where they were. One of the support beams in the couch had finally snapped when Cole sat on it, causing the bed to cave in and fold in the middle, pulling Cole in with it. Cassie suppresses laughter with a hand over her mouth as she sees nothing but Cole's legs from the knees down kicking, one shoe having been thrown across the room.

Another muffled cry comes from the bed, and Cassie walks over, leaning into the middle of the bed with one hand and using the other to find one of his hands in the mass of blankets. When she finally finds one, he holds onto her tightly as she helps pull him up and out of the bed. To her horror, though, she pulls a little too hard and has them both stumbling a bit as he straightens himself out, his posture a little uncertain, only wearing one shoe. Suddenly he's closer to her than she's let him get in weeks, and she can feel her face heating up as his breath fans out over her face. His hair is dishevelled, and his shirt has risen up slightly on one side, showing off a sliver of his slim midsection.

Cole doesn't seem to notice, still holding onto her hand tightly while he turns around to look back at the bed.

"I think I broke your couch." he mumbles gruffly, letting go of her hand to fix his shirt and run his fingers through his hair.

Cassie clears her throat and takes a step back from him, with some personal difficulty, waving her hand dismissively.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. That thing was ancient anyways. I'll find a replacement easily."

Cole huffs and takes off his other boot, walking over to add it to the one that had gone flying. "Still. Sorry." Walking back over to the bed, Cole takes the pillows and the blankets from the broken couch and walks over near the television, placing it all on the ground. Cassie watches all this from the kitchen doorway.

"What are you doing?"

Cole pauses to look up at her. "I'm going to bed." he says matter-a-factly, sitting down on the floor.

Cassie shakes her head and takes a few steps towards him. "Cole, I can't let you sleep on the ground. At least let me help you try to put the couch back together for the night. I can go buy a replacement tomorrow."

Cole looks up at her and tilts his head slightly. "Cassie, I'm fine sleeping on the floor. I do it all the time in my time, except without the nice pillows or warm blankets. Don't worry about it." He lays down, shifting on the hard floor to get comfortable, which just makes Cassie feel more uncomfortable.

Looking from him to the stairs a few times, Cassie shifts her weight from one leg to the other before finally heading for the stairs. "Okay, well…get me if you change your mind, okay? Goodnight Cole."

"G'night." she hears him mumble, already sounding half asleep.

She pauses at the base of the staircase, still feeling uncertain, but ultimately makes her way upstairs and into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

* * *

It doesn't take long at all for her to find herself going back downstairs, now in her shorts and oversized t-shirt she likes to sleep in. The idea of having Cole sleeping on the cold floor while she sleeps in a huge bed was bothering her enough that she couldn't go to sleep.

He was already sleeping, but she knows from experience that it takes him at least an hour to be properly asleep. As she's making her way down the stairs and over to him she sees him shift, and his breathing tells her he's conscious again.

"What, Cassie?" he mumbles, rolling over to watch her bare feet approach him.

"Cole, can you please let me help you with the couch. I don't feel right letting you sleep on the floor-"

"I already said it's fine, Cass. I'm used to it-"

"Just because you're used to something doesn't mean it's right." she cuts him off, shifting her weight to one foot as she looks down at him. "You're not in your time right now, you're in mine. And I don't feel right letting you sleep on the floor when there is a perfectly good couch right there. Well, not perfectly good, but you know what I mean."

Cole sighs and rolls onto his back to look up at her. "If I let you help me fix the couch, will you let me sleep?"

"Yes."

"Alright then lets fix the friggin' couch."

"Thank you."

Cole gets up and they walk over to the couch together, one on each end.

"If we just push it back into a couch, you should be able to sleep on it for tonight."

Cole grumbles in agreement and picks up his end while she picks up the other. It doesn't take long for them to figure out that the snapped middle beam is getting in the way of the couch folding back together properly. For the sake of it, they keep trying for a few minutes before giving up, the bed now half put away and half sticking up at a weird angle.

Cassie huffs and sits down on the coffee table, Cole still standing at his end of the bed.

"Now are you going to let me sleep on the floor?"

Cassie looks up at him to see a smirk on his face, challenging her, but also unintentionally showing her how tired he is.

"No, I'm not."

Cole huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. "Then where the hell am I supposed to sleep tonight?"

Cassie falls silent, until it occurs to her. Her face goes pink immediately at the thought of it, and she's thankful that they'd kept all the lights in the room off this whole time. She only had one bed, but they could share it, really. It's plenty big enough for two people. She could handle that. Just for one night. It's not like there was any chance of-

"We'll just share my bed." she says, her voice wavering despite her effort to sound nonchalant.

Cole unfolds his arms slowly and just looks at her. If the lights were on in the room at this point, Cassie would be able to see his cheeks light up just as brightly as hers did.

"Cassie, I don't know if-"

"I mean, as long as you're okay with that. The bed is more than big enough for two people, and it's just for tonight. I promise I'll stay on my side" she teases, trying to lighten the suddenly very tense mood in the room, not sure if she's sounding sincere at all.

Cole just continues to stare at her. It's not like he hasn't shared beds or sleeping spaces with people before. It was part of surviving. Stick close to your people so you could wake up and be on the move at a moment's notice. But having Cassie so close to him, and sharing a bed with her…that had him a little spooked. He's been managing to keep his emotions to himself for a while now, since the beginning, really, worried he'd scare her off with unwanted affection. Could he really handle this? He wanted this, sure, badly. But these were not the circumstances he had dreamed of.

Cassie got up swiftly, drawing him back to the present. "It's just for one night, Cole. Please. I won't be able to sleep properly knowing you're down here sleeping on the ground."

Cole stares at her for a few long moments before nodding. "Okay. Fine. But we're getting this fixed before tomorrow night." he says gruffly, sounding more annoyed than he'd intended to.

Cassie smiles, hiding a wince at how badly he doesn't want to do this. _'Am I really that repulsive?'_ she vaguely wonders, looking down at her ratty old pyjamas a little self-consciously.

Turning, they both head up the stairs, Cole trying to keep a respectable distance between them as he follows her.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Cole has been in Cassie's room before. Well, her room at the bookstore, which she seems to be staying at more than her actual apartment, now. It was a pretty simple room, with a connecting bathroom, a large bookshelf along the adjacent wall, two large windows facing east with the shades pulled back so she can enjoy the sun in the morning, and a large bed near the door to the hallway.

Cole slowly lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in as he crosses the threshold into her room behind her. Taking a breath in, he almost sighs. This room always smells strongly of Cassie.

He stays near the door and watches her walk over to the other side of the bed, pulling the sheets down. He can't help but notice how she looks in her pyjamas, all legs and drowning in the shirt she's wearing. He finds himself wondering if it's one of Aaron's old shirts, but quickly drops that thought, clenching his fists. She looks up at him then, and Cole lets his mind wander, wishing he could see her in one of his shirts like this.

"Cole, if you're really uncomfortable, we don't have to do this."

Her small voice brings him back out of his thoughts, and he sees her look down at his clenched fists, immediately relaxing them.

"No, I'm fine. Promise."

Cassie nods slowly and looks away, climbing into bed and pulling her side of the covers up to her chin. "Can you turn out the lights before you lay down?"

Cole looks behind him and locates the switch on the wall by the door, flipping it and plunging the room into darkness. His eyes quickly adjust to the street lights and moonlight coming through the windows.

Looking back over at the bed, he takes a silent shaky breath and climbs in, being very aware of his own body, and hers, and trying not to brush against her. The bed really is huge, so thankfully there is plenty of room for them to both lay on their backs comfortably. Cole pulls the blankets up to his chin as well, shifting around a bit to get settled. Her bed literally feels like he's laying on clouds, and a sigh escapes him as he feels all his muscles relax.

Cassie turns her head to look at him, smiling. "Comfy?"

Cole chuckles under his breath and closes his eyes. "You sleep here every night? How do you ever get up in the morning?"

Cassie laughs breathily, rolling her body so she's resting on her side, fully facing him. "It's difficult some mornings, believe me, but you get used to it."

"I don't think I could ever get used to this. This is heaven." Cole sighs again, turning his head to look over at her. The moonlight coming through the window is hitting her face so she's just visible in the dark room, and Cole's breath hitches when he remembers how close they are, and that he's sharing a bed with the woman he hasn't been able to stop thinking about since he met her. Yeah, this is definitely heaven.

Cassie doesn't seem to notice his sudden tenseness, and closes her eyes, a smile still lingering on her lips. "Well, if you want to come with me tomorrow, you can help me pick out a new couch for you, or maybe they'll have a bed we can put in the spare room across the hall."

Cole studies her face, wanting to commit the way she looks in this moment to memory. "I'd like that." he says, his voice soft, noticing she's starting to nod off. Feeling emboldened, Cole rolls onto his side to face her, reaching out to touch her hand that's resting between them, gently holding it. Cassie sighs and smiles, half asleep already, and squeezes his hand gently, causing Cole to smile too.

"Goodnight, Cassie."

But she's already asleep.

* * *

There's sunlight streaming in through the windows sooner than Cole would have liked. He doesn't remember falling asleep, but also doesn't remember waking up at any point during the night. He hasn't slept that soundly in years, his muscles and back abnormally relaxed.

Slowly opening his eyes and squinting while they adjusted to the bright room, Cole quickly noticed a few things.

One - He was no longer on his side of the bed.

Two - Cassie wasn't on her side of the bed either.

And three - At some point during the night, Cassie had moved over to snuggle into Cole's front, her arms folded between them and her face resting against his chest, while his arms were both wrapped around her loosely, holding her body against his. Their legs are also tangled together.

Cole immediately panics. Is she awake yet? Can he untangle them without waking her up? Oh god, her hair smells nice…

Cole takes a few deep breaths, realizing that Cassie is still breathing deeply, fast asleep. He feels himself relax again, tentatively stroking her hair and pulling her a little closer to him. Cassie sighs in her sleep and adjusts so that her face is pressing against his neck, her nose brushing his jaw. Cole tenses again while she moves, and relaxes when she settles down.

This has to be a dream. He's probably still asleep. Cassie's bare legs are bumping against his, and Cole wishes he'd changed before bed, his heavy jeans getting in the way of more contact. He moves to rest his mouth against the crown of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair again. Cassie mumbles something into his neck and he can feel one of her hands lazily grab some of his shirt, bunching it up in her loose fist. Cole smiles and kisses her forehead, rubbing her back gently.

He could die happy in this moment. Pretending that the world isn't ending and he isn't dying from all the splintering, and that they lived together in this old bookstore. Waking up every morning like this, drinking coffee in the kitchen together while she makes him pancakes, something he has grown quite fond of ever since she first got him to try them.

Cassie shifts, pulling Cole out of his thoughts and back to the present. He hasn't tried to untangle them, but she was waking up anyways. Cole panics, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. Cassie mumbles something incoherent and moves again, her legs stretching out and her hands at his chest clenching slightly.

Cole holds his breath and a shiver runs through him as he feels her eyes flutter open, her eyelashes tickling the skin of his neck. She goes completely still once she comes to, her mind catching up with where she is, much like his did when he first woke up.

Slowly, as if unsure if he's awake yet, Cassie unclenches her fists and releases his shirt, and ever so gently leans back to look up at Cole's face, her hands still resting on his chest. He briefly considers faking sleep, but knows she'd see right through it. Their eyes connect, hers growing a little wider when she sees he's very much awake.

How long has he been up? Why didn't he move away from her?

Her mind reels. Cole can feel his skin start to itch with awkwardness, and opens his mouth to say something. Cassie beats him to it.

"I'm so sorry! I guess my body has a mind of its own-" she starts, wincing slightly as she pulls away farther, until they aren't touching anymore.

Cole tries to smile at her reassuringly, but it falls short. "It's fine, Cass-"

She's already out of bed before he can finish. "I'll go make us some coffee, okay?" She's avoiding his eyes, and he can see her cheeks are a little pink. She quickly goes around the bed and retreats out the door, her footsteps taking her down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Cole blinks and sits up, running a hand through his hair before sighing loudly and holding his face in one hand.

He'd gone and scared her off. It was never his intention to make her uncomfortable. But she was so warm, and it felt so nice to pretend for a minute that things between them were…well, different.

Sighing again, Cole gets out of bed and wanders over to the closet, picking out a clean t-shirt she'd given him months ago and heading for the bathroom.

* * *

When Cole makes it downstairs nearly ten minutes later, he pauses at the bottom of the stairs in disbelief. Cassie's in the kitchen, where she said she would be, and he can hear the coffee pot crackling and dripping. But that smell…

Walking over to the kitchen archway, Cole stops and takes in what he's seeing. There's light coming in through the kitchen window, bathing the room in warmth. Cassie's in front of the stove, a spatula in one hand and a bowl in the other. The morning light is bouncing off her golden blonde hair and making it shine, and it's still a little messy from sleeping. She's humming softly as she puts the bowl down, all her focus on the stove top. She's already put two plates and utensils at the kitchen table. And that undeniable smell…

Cole walks into the room, the floor creaking and alerting Cassie to his presence. She spins her head around, giving him a smile when she sees him. "I'm making us pancakes. Hope that's okay" she says lightly, turning back around to flip one of the pancakes.

Cole is still silent as he comes up behind her, his mouth open slightly. It was just like in his dream from earlier. Maybe he's still asleep.

Reaching out, Cole gently takes some of Cassie's messy hair in his hand, testing the strands between his fingers. Cassie seems to freeze, slowly turning to look back at him. "Cole, what are you-"

Her question dies off when she sees the look on his face. She's never seen him look so at peace before, in all the months she's known him. He's still touching her hair gently, and she finds herself putting the spatula down on the counter and turning around fully to face him. He snaps out of it when she moves, looking up at her.

"Cole, are you okay?" she asks softly, reaching out to place a hand on his arm, just above the elbow. "Is this about earlier? I'm really sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Cole shakes his head at this, stepping into her personal space and reaching up to cup the side of her face in one of his hands. Cassie shivers and closes her eyes at the contact, her heart rate speeding up slightly. When she opens her eyes again she can see that he's looking at her intently, his eyes shifting quickly between hers.

"Cassie…" he breathes out, nothing more than a whispers, before he leans in and puts his lips on hers. Cassie's eyes go wide in shock, and her body seems to entirely shut down. Cole isn't deepening the kiss at all, just gently pressing his lips against hers, but she still feels like she's short of breath. She can't seem to move. Her mind is racing a mile a minute, and before she knows what's even happening, Cole is pulling away, putting some distance between them.

Her eyes are still a little wide as she stares at him, her lips parted slightly.

"I'm sorry, Cass, I shouldn't have done that." he says gruffly, his throat closing up. Of course he shouldn't have. After how she reacted this morning when she woke up, it was obvious she didn't want this. But when he came downstairs and saw his fantasy of them coming to life, he just…and now he's crossed that unspoken line between them, and he's scared.

He runs a hand through his hair nervously, trying to cover up how upset he is in this moment. He turns to leave, figuring she would want to be alone, but feels a hand grasp his arm firmly.

Cassie turns him around, making him face her. His eyes widen when he sees her eyes are cloudy with tears, his heart clenching painfully. He's really messed this up. He should have just kept it to himself like he's been doing for months and she wouldn't be-

She's kissing him before he can finish his thought or try to say sorry again. Her arms are up around his neck, her body pressed against him firmly as she leans up on her toes to get close to him. His body takes a few long moments to catch up with what's going on, but he quickly adapts.

His eyes close as he throws his arms around her, one hand burying itself in her hair that he loves so much, while the other presses against her back, pushing her closer to him. He can feel every bit of her body through their thin shirts, moaning slightly as she deepens the kiss, one of her hands at the back of his head, pulling him in.

He's turning them around and pressing her back against the kitchen wall before he can even think to slow down, months of built up tension and want and passion finally coming to the surface. Cassie grunts as her back hits the wall, kissing him deeply as his hands roam her sides, one of them pushing her oversized shirt up to touch the skin of her lower back. Every little sigh and moan that escapes Cassie's mouth drives Cole further up the wall, a low moan escaping his own mouth as she pulls on his hair slightly.

The smell of smoke is what finally pulls Cassie out of her happy place. Pushing at Cole's chest gently, quietly memorizing the small sound of protest he makes when their lips part and he takes a half step away from her, she sees that her pancakes are burnings and starting to smoke up the room.

"Oh no no no no!" she cries, stepping out from between Cole and the wall and dashing for the stove, quickly turning off the head and using the spatula to slide the pancakes onto a plate, running them under water to quickly stop the black smoke. Reaching over the sink, she opens the window to let all the haze out of the room, sighing when she sees that breakfast is entirely ruined.

Cole comes up behind her again, gently pushing her hair over to one shoulder so he can kiss her cheek. Cassie smiles, turning around to see a smile on his face as well. He looks happy. She's only seen him look this happy a few times in all the time she's known him, and her chest feels warm knowing she's made him look this way.

"I managed to ruin breakfast." she laughs, motioning towards the wet black pucks sitting in the sink.

Cole laughs, leaning up to kiss her forehead lovingly. "If that's how you do it, I don't mind if you ruin breakfast every morning, Cass."

"I didn't know you were such a sap, Cole." Cassie jokes as she looks up at him, running and hand over his arm before leaning in and placing herself on his chest, his arms coming up to wrap around her back, just like they had been this morning when he woke up. They stay like that for a few minutes before Cassie gently pulls away.

"Cole…I don't want to seem too forward, and we don't need to talk about what this is or isn't yet, but…how would you feel about not going couch or bed shopping today? I mean, my bed really is big enough for both of us, and-"

"Cassie, as long as you're comfortable with it, I would rather spend all my nights with you." She blushes slightly at this, trying not to summon up images of the potential dual meaning to that statement. "Honestly, I haven't slept that well in…years." he laughs, looking down at her, his smile reaching his eyes. "And as for what this is…" he trails off, motioning between them with one hand, "You know I'm not good with talking. And relationships the way they exist now don't really exist in my time, so I don't know what I'm doing. But I…I want this. You. Cassie, you make me feel…" he trails off again, gathering his thoughts. "I know this can't last forever, with our mission and what's at stake. But I want to enjoy this while I can. I want to be honest with you and not hide how I feel anymore."

Cassie smiles back, nodding and trying to keep herself from tearing up. "So how long have you felt this way exactly?" she teases, lightening the mood.

Cole smirks and pulls her in closer. "Too long." he whispers gruffly, sending shivers down her spine before he kisses her again, softly, lovingly. His stomach growls loudly then, making them both smile into the kiss and break apart laughing.

"How about you help me clean up, and we try those pancakes again? This time with no distractions."

"I promise nothing." Cole mumbles with a smile, leaning down and kissing her once more.


End file.
